Topic: NBC

After being mired for months, talks with major networks regarding an Apple streaming TV service are finally making major advancements ahead of an anticipated launch this fall, according to a new report.

In the midst of the NHL playoffs and hype for the Kentucky Derby, a number of users have found that the Apple TV channel to stream those events, NBC Sports Live Extra, has unexpectedly disappeared from their set-top box.

CBS boss Les Moonves revealed in an earnings call on Thursday that his company had been approached by Apple about a potential streaming TV service that would share ad revenues, but the network declined to strike a deal because it prefers to license its content.

Television networks NBC, TNT and TBS recently began offering streaming full-length TV episodes on their respective apps for Apple's iPad, though shows from TNT and TBS are only available to eligible cable or satellite subscribers.

As the U.S. government looks to approve Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal, the purchase could come with "significant conditions" to prevent Comcast from withholding TV and movie content from companies like Apple.

Apple announced Thursday that movies are now available on the iTunes Store in Japan, while the major TV networks in the U.S. have blocked Google TV from playing content from their websites through the Chrome browser.

Internet video host Brightcove, among the first to begin supporting iPhone-compatible H.264 video and HTML5, is now moving to support Apple's open HTTP Live Streaming format as well, hammering another nail into the coffin of Adobe Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight.

NBC Universal is unlikely join a pair of its peers in serving up a la carte TV show rentals to Apple TV users for 99 cents for pop through Apple's iTunes Store later this year, according to comments from the company's top executive.

While most in the TV industry are opposed to Apple's proposed plan for 99 cent episode rentals, its efforts could be saved by News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch's drive to save the newspaper industry, according to a new report.

As Comcast's bid to purchase NBC Universal goes through a federal review, the U.S. government is investigating the effect the deal might have on Internet-based video services like Apple's iTunes Store.

As usual, Apple's executives kept close to a carefully prepared script on the company's stellar financial results, being careful not to reveal too much about the company's future plans, including its data center cloud services and broader open support for FaceTime video calling.

While Apple is rumored to be working with TV networks on a subscription plan for shows on iTunes, Comcast's intent to purchase NBC could prevent such a deal with one of the big four U.S. broadcast networks.

Apple announced Thursday that all four of the major US television networks are offering primetime programs in high definition on the iTunes Store, which has become the world's most popular online TV service with over 200 million episodes sold, including more than one million HD episodes purchased since last month.

Afraid that Apple will gain the sort of lock on downloadable video that it did with music, Sony and a group of video business heavyweights are planning a new standard that would let copy protected movies and TV from any participating service work with many devices..

Apple is dismissing notions that it gave in to NBC's pricing strategy to get highly coveted TV shows back. Meanwhile, legal entanglements are likely to keep South Koreans away from iPhones until next year, and an Apple TV update for HD television shows is likely.